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Review ArticleEffectiveness of Acupuncture for Treating Sciatica:A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
1Department of Acupuncture, Guang’anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100053, China2Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China
Correspondence should be addressed to Zhishun Liu; [email protected]
This is a systematic review and meta-analysis, which aimed to assess the current evidence on the effects and safety of acupuncturefor treating sciatica. In this review, a total of 11 randomized controlled trials were included. As a result, we found that the use ofacupuncture may be more effective than drugs and may enhance the effect of drugs for patients with sciatica, but because of theinsufficient number of relevant and rigorous studies, the evidence is limited. Future trials using rigorous methodology, appropriatecomparisons, and clinically relevant outcomes should be conducted.
1. Introduction
Sciatica is a syndrome involving nerve root impingementor inflammation that has progressed sufficiently to causeneurological symptoms in the areas that are supplied bythe affected nerve roots [1]. The most important symptomsinclude unilateral leg pain radiating to the foot or toes thatis greater than low back pain and often associated withparesthesia, numbness, and weakness of the leg; it mayinvolve increased pain on straight leg raising andneurologicalsymptoms limited to one nerve root. Sciatica may be suddenin onset andmay subsequently persist for days or weeks [2, 3].
Frymoyer reported that the prevalence of sciatica varieswidely from 13% to 40% [4, 5]. According to the research ofKonstantinou, most patients suffered sciatica in the fourthand fifth decades of their life [6]. The treatment for sciatica isprimarily aimed at pain control by means of either conserva-tive treatment or surgical techniques. According to the priorsystematic review, nonopioidmedication, epidural injections,and disc surgery are effective for pain reduction [7]; however,relevant side effects to epidural injections have been reported[8–10], and the effect of NSAIDs on sciatica is still uncertain,even though it is a common treatment to manage pain. Manypatients report little relief [7], and the surgical proceduresare invasive and expensive and may even cause neurologicalcomplications that may not be acceptable for all patients [11].
Acupuncture is a tried and tested system of traditionalChinese medicine, which has been used in China and otherEastern cultures for thousands of years. While acupuncturehas been proposed for persistent sciatica, its efficacy hasnot been shown [7, 12]. To date, there has been substantialresearch into the anaesthetic and anti-inflammatory actionsof acupuncture [13–15], and several randomized controlledtrials (RCTs) have suggested that acupuncture can relievethe symptoms of sciatica [16, 17]. Despite these studies, anacupuncture-related systematic review has still fallen short ofprojected expectations.
This systematic review aimed to assess the current evi-dence on the effects and safety of acupuncture for sciatica.
2. Methods and Analysis
Weconducted this systematic review according to a publishedprotocol [18] and our review is reported in accordance withthe Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews andMeta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement [19].
2.1. Study Selection
2.1.1. Types of Studies. All randomized controlled trials(RCTs) in English, Chinese, and Japanese on acupuncture
Hindawi Publishing CorporationEvidence-Based Complementary and Alternative MedicineVolume 2015, Article ID 425108, 13 pageshttp://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/425108
2 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
treatment for sciatica were included for this review. Non-RCTs, quasi-RCTs, and randomized controlled trial protocolwere excluded.
2.1.2. Types of Participants. Patients with sciatica wereincluded, including those diagnosed with sciatica synonyms,such as radiculopathy, nerve root compromise, nerve rootcompression, nerve root pain, and pain radiating below theknee, with no restriction on gender and age. We excludedtrials if they included lower back pain without sciatica.
2.1.3. Types of Interventions. Any type of invasive acupunc-ture were included, such as acupuncture, electroacupunc-ture, elongated needle acupuncture, auricular acupuncture,abdominal acupuncture, and warm acupuncture. Controlinterventions may include no treatment, sham acupunc-ture/placebo (e.g., acupuncture same acupuncture pointwithout needle insertion or acupuncture the point closeto it but it is not an acupuncture point), and Westernmedicine. As this review aims to assess the effectiveness andsafety of acupuncture for treating sciatica, we excluded trialscomparing two different types of acupuncture. Furthermore,the effectiveness of Chinese medicine is hard to assess, sowe excluded trials comparing acupuncture with Chinesemedicine.
2.1.4. Types of Outcome Assessments. The primary outcomeof interest was pain intensity. Any validated measurementscales were included (e.g., Visual Analogue Scale (VAS),Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), and Short-Form McGill PainQuestionnaire (SF-MPQ)). Secondary outcomes were (1)global assessment (the proportion of patients improved orcured); (2) quality of life, for example, as assessed using theMedical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form health survey(SF-36); (3) physical examinations; (4) patient satisfaction;and (5) adverse effects.
2.1.5. Data Sources. A search strategy was used and con-ducted according to the Cochrane handbook guidelines[31]. The following nine databases were searched from theirinception to May 2015: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL,CBM,CMCC,VIP database,Wan-FangDatabase, CNKI, andCiNii. The search strategy was based on the guidance of theCochrane handbook.
The strategy for searching the PUBMED database isshown in Table 1. This search strategy was also applied to theother electronic databases.
2.1.6. Data Extraction. Two authors (Zongshi Qin andXiaoxu Liu) extracted the data independently. Before begin-ning extraction, a small scope trial with one databasewas conducted to confirm that there were no differencesbetween the two authors. After a commonunderstandingwasreached, standard extraction forms were used to collect datafrom included trials. Any disagreements were discussed andjudged by an arbiter (Zhishun Liu).
2.1.7. Data Management. Two authors (Zongshi Qin andXiaoxu Liu) used Endnote X7 (Thomson Reuters, New York,
Table 1: Search strategy used in PubMed database.
Number Search items1 randomized controlled trial.pt2 controlled clinical trial.pt3 randomized.ti,ab4 randomly.ti,ab5 groups.ti,ab6 trial.ti,ab7 or 1–68 acupuncture.ti,ab9 electro-acupuncture.ti,ab10 elongated needle.ti,ab11 three edged needle.ti,ab12 (fire needle or warming needle).ti,ab13 auricular acupuncture.ti,ab14 abdominal acupuncture.ti,ab15 warm acupuncture.ti,ab16 pyonex.ti,ab17 or 8–1618 sciatica.ti,ab19 sciatic neuralgia.ti,ab20 ischialgia.ti,ab21 ischioneuralgia.ti,ab22 discogenic sciatica.ti,ab23 bilateral sciatica.ti,ab24 disc herniation-induced sciatica.ti,ab25 or 18–2426 7 and 17 and 25This search strategy will be modified as required for other electronicdatabases.
NY, USA) software to manage the trials that have beensearched and remove duplicates. Data extracted were put intoRevman V.5.3.3 software for analysis.
2.1.8. Risk of Bias in Individual. The Cochrane Collaborationtool for assessing the risk of bias was used to facilitate theassessment of the risk of bias for trials included [32]. Twoauthors (Jiani Wu and Yanbing Zhai) independently evalu-atedmethodological quality, which covers seven aspects: ran-dom sequence generation, allocation concealment, blindingof participants and personnel, blinding of outcome assess-ment, incomplete outcome data, selective reporting, andother bias. Any disagreements were discussed and resolvedby a third author (Zhishun Liu).
2.1.9. Measures of Treatment Effect. Dichotomous data wereanalysed using risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval(CI). Continuous outcomes were analysed using mean differ-ences (MD) with 95% CI or standardized mean differences(SMD) with 95% CI if different measurement scales are used.
2.1.10. Dealing with Missing Data. The listed correspondingauthor was contacted in an attempt to obtain any missing
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 3
information from their trial.We excluded 1 trial after 3 unsuc-cessful attempts to contact the authors to obtain missing datafrom the data synthesis [33].
2.1.11. Assessment of Heterogeneity. WeusedHiggins 𝐼2 statis-tic to test clinical heterogeneity. Variability factors includedin the trials were taken into consideration (e.g., type ofintervention and duration of intervention). If 𝐼2 ≥ 50% or𝑃 < 0.1, there is substantial heterogeneity among the trials,and the design of trials and characteristics in the includedtrials were analysed.
2.1.12. Assessment of Reporting Biases. A funnel plot was usedto assess the reporting biases when 10 or more trials wereincluded in a meta-analysis. However, the number of studiesincluded in our analysis may have been too small to test forfunnel plot asymmetry [34].
2.1.13. Confidence in Cumulative Estimate. Details ofacupuncture and control interventions were extracted on thebasis of the revised Standard for Reporting Interventions inClinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA) [35], a checklistintended for use in conjunction with CONSORT that canestimate randomized controlled trials of acupuncture,including acupuncture rationale, needling details, treatmentregimen, cointervention, control interventions, andtreatment background.The acupuncture interventions in theincluded studies based on the STRICTA recommendationsare presented in Table 2.
2.1.14. Data Synthesis. We used Revman V.5.3.3 software toperform meta-analysis of the trials included. Dichotomousdata were determined by using RR with 95% CI, and contin-uous outcomes were analysed using WMD with 95% CI orSMD with 95% CI if different measurement scales are used.When statistical heterogeneity was observed, the randomeffects model was used; otherwise the fixed effect model wasused to combine the data. When quantitative synthesis wasnot appropriate, we provided systematic narrative synthesisto describe the characteristics and findings of the includedtrials.
2.1.15. Subgroup Analysis and Sensitivity Analysis. Weplanned to conduct subgroup and sensitivity analyses in thepublished protocol as follows: we hypothesized a greaterreduction in pain intensity and improvement in globalassessment with acupuncture than with sham acupuncture;we also predicted that different types of sciatica or risks ofbias in different trials would lead to moderate statisticalheterogeneity.
3. Results
3.1. Selection of Studies. Our search strategy yielded a totalof 1489 records. After 435 duplicate records were excluded,1054 unique records were screened for eligibility. A total1005 records were excluded based on review of the title andabstract. The remaining 49 records were deemed potentially
relevant. After the full-text articles were reviewed, 7 studieswere excluded because they were not true RCTs, 24 studieswere excluded because they included inappropriate inter-ventions, and 7 studies were excluded due to inappropriatedesign. One study was published in French and the full-textwas unavailable; thus, we were unable to extract the data, andthe study was therefore excluded from review [36]. In total, 11studies met the criteria predesigned in our protocol and weretherefore included in our review for systematic and meta-analysis [20–30]. All trials were published between 2004 and2014; 9 studies were published in Chinese [22–30], and 2 werepublished in English [20, 21]. Two trials were multicentretrials while the others were single centre [20, 23].
Figure 1 uses a study flow diagram to summarize theresults of the study searches.
3.2. Description of Studies
3.2.1. Patients. We included 11 trials that enrolled a total of962 participants in our systematic review [20–30]. Ten trialswere conducted in China (932 participants) [21–30] and 1 wasconducted in Pakistan (40 participants) [20]. All patients hadacute or chronic sciatica; 3 trials included 180 participantsdiagnosed with sciatica of the nerve trunk without lumbardisc herniation and low back pain [21, 26, 30] and 8 studies(782 participants) included patients with sciatica of the nerveroots [20, 22–25, 27–29], especially caused by lumbar discherniation. All studies stated that patients with abnormalneuralgia such as compression pain from tumour or seriousinfection were excluded.
The characteristics of the included studies are summa-rized in Table 3.
3.2.2. Acupuncture Interventions. In general, all of the studiesadopted a treatment theory based on traditional Chinesemedicine theory and clinical experience. Many acupunctur-ists choose acupuncture points or corresponding acupunc-ture interventions based on their clinical experience duringtreatment. Electroacupuncture was used in most of the trials(6 studies) [20, 23–25, 28, 30], warming acupuncture wasused in 3 studies [21, 27, 29], and manual needle stimulationwas performed in 2 trials [22, 26].Thenumber of acupuncturepoints varied from 1 to more than 10; the most commonlyused acupoints were Huantiao (GB 32), Weizhong (BL 40),and Yanglingquan (GB 34). The acupoints for each trial areshown in Table 4. The duration of interventions ranged fromone to four weeks and only one trial mentioned 6 months offollow-up. The age of the patients ranged from 18 to 79 years.Eleven studies reportedDe-chi, a needle sensation of sorenessand numbness.
3.2.3. Control Interventions. In 8 trials [20–27], acupunc-ture was compared to conventional medications; most ofthe medications were nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs). Two studies compared acupuncture plus con-ventional medication to the same conventional medicationalone [28, 29]. One trial used sham acupuncture in thecontrol group [30]; the needles in this trial were inserted in
4 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Table2:Ac
upun
ctureinterventions
intheincludedstu
dies
basedon
theS
TRICTA
recommendatio
n.
Author
Insertiondepth
Respon
sesoug
htDetailsof
needlin
gStim
ulationmetho
dRe
tentiontim
eNeedletype
Treatm
entregim
enPractitioner
backgrou
ndWangandLa
2004
[20]
NR
De-chirespo
nsem
anual
EA25
min
NR
1sessio
non
cead
ayfor7
days
Physician
Chen
etal.200
9[21]
NR
De-chirespo
nsem
anual
WA
20–35m
in0.3×60
mm
3sessions
once
daily
for10
days
NR
Zeng
2012
[22]
60mm
(GB30/BL
54)
others25
mm
De-chirespo
nsem
anual
Manipulated
every10min,
pricking
bloo
d30
min
0.3×75
mm
2sessions
once
daily
for10
days
NR
Zhangetal.2008[23]
40–6
0mm
De-chirespo
nsem
anual
Manipulated
every10min
andEA
20min
0.3×40
–75m
m2sessions
once
daily
for10
days
Professio
nal
acup
uncturists
Huetal.2010[24]
60mm
(GB30)
others40
mm
De-chirespo
nsem
anual
Manipulated
every10min
andEA
30min
0.3×50–75m
m2sessions
once
daily
for10
days
NR
Duetal.200
9[25]
45–6
0mm
De-chirespo
nsem
anual
EA45
min
0.45×75
mm
4sessions
3tim
esperw
eek
NR
Chen
2010
[26]
40–75m
mDe-chirespo
nsem
anual
Manipulated
every10min
30min
0.3×25–4
0mm
2sessions
3tim
esperw
eek
NR
Wang2008
[27]
NR
De-chirespo
nsem
anual
WA
NR
0.4×75
mm
2sessions
once
daily
for10
days
NR
Meng2014
[28]
NR
NR
EA30
min
NR
2sessions
once
daily
for7
days
Qualifi
edacup
uncturist
Ren2013
[29]
40–75m
mDe-chirespo
nsem
anual
WA
30min
NR
1sessio
non
cead
ayfor10days
NR
Zhao
2004
[30]
50–75m
mDe-chirespo
nsem
anual
EA30
min
0.25×75
mm
2sessions
once
aday
for10
days
NR
NR:
notreported,De-chi:an
eedles
ensatio
nof
sorenessandnu
mbn
ess,EA
:electroacup
uncture,WA:w
arm
acup
uncture,andST
RICT
A:stand
ards
forreportin
ginterventio
nsin
controlledtrialsof
acup
uncture.
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 5
Records identified through database searching
Records after duplicates removed
Full-text articles assessed for eligibility
Studies included in quantitative synthesis (meta-analysis)
Records excluded by reading titles and abstracts:
Duplicate records excludedIden
tifica
tion
Scre
enin
gEl
igib
ility
Inclu
ded
(n = 1489)
(n = 435)
(n = 1054)
(n = 49)
(n = 11)
(ix) Acupuncture compared with herb (n = 39)(viii) Acupuncture combined with herb (n = 27)(vii) Two different types of acupuncture (n = 45)(vi) Non-RCTs (n = 73)
(v) Studies not related to the acupuncture (n = 652)
(iv) Expert experience (n = 52)
(ii) Animal experiments (n = 33)(i) Reviews of sciatica (n = 68)
(ix) Missing data (n = 1)(viii) No available data (n = 1)
groups (n = 2)(vii) Different drugs in two comparison(vi) Needle-knife (n = 6)(v) Acupoints injection (n = 9)
nonacupuncture points (2 inches from the correct acupunc-ture points).
3.2.4. Outcome Measure. Five studies measured pain inten-sity using VAS [20, 22, 25, 26, 28], which is an importantassessment scale for neuralgia pain; in addition, one studyused JOA [25] and one study used BRS-6 to measure pain
intensity [22]. For the outcome of global assessment, 9 studiescompared the patients who were cured or improved withthose who were not [21–24, 26–30]. For outcome measuresin most studies, “cured” means that the sciatic neuralgiaresolved and the limb function recovered, while “improved”was defined as decreased sciatic neuralgia and largely normalfunction, and “failed”meant no symptom improvement. One
6 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative MedicineTa
ble3:Summaryof
studies
inclu
dedin
ther
eview.
Author
Design
Num
bero
fsubjects
Interventio
ntype
(A)
Con
trolgroup
(B)
Treatm
ent
regimen
Follow-upperio
dsOutcomem
easure
Results
repo
rted
Adversee
vents
WangandLa
2004
[20]
Parallel,2
arms
40(23/17)
EADiclofenacs
odium
50mgtid
for7
d1sessio
non
cea
dayfor7
days
NR
(1)L
aseque’ssig
nangles
(2)V
AS
(1)(A)v
ersus(B):76.67±
1.63versus
70.88±2.11
(2)(A)v
ersus(B):25.71±
2.27
versus
35.33±2.57
NR
Chen
etal.
2009
[21]
Parallel,3
arms
90(30/30/30)
WA
(1)N
imesulide0
.1gbid
(2)A
cupu
ncture
points
injection
3sessions
once
daily
for10days
NR
(1)R
espo
nser
ate
(2)P
T
(1)(A)significantly
bette
rthan
(B)(𝑃<0.05,90%
versus
73.33
%)
(2)2
.62±0.59
versus
1.54±
0.39
NR
Zeng
2012
[22]
Parallel,2
arms
60(30/30)
MA
Pricking
bloo
dIbup
rofen3m
gbid+Vb 2
10mgtid
2sessions
once
daily
for10days
NR
(1)R
espo
nser
ate
(2)B
RS-6
(3)V
AS
(A)significantly
bette
rthan
(B)(1)(𝑃<0.05,83.3%
versus
70%)
(2)4
.87±1.5
0versus
5.87±
1.89
(3)2
.07±1.0
5versus
2.70±
1.34
NO
Zhangetal.
2008
[23]
Parallel,2
arms
194
(98/96)
EAMelo
xicam
7.5mgqd
2sessions
once
daily
for10days
NR
Respon
serate
(A)significantly
bette
rthan
(B)
(𝑃<0.05,86.53%
versus
75%)
3patie
ntsreported
hypo
derm
albleeding
ininterventio
ngrou
p;21
patie
ntsincontrol
grou
prepo
rted
GI
prob
lems
Huetal.2010
[24]
Parallel,2
arms
100
(50/50)
EAMelo
xicam
7.5mgqd
2sessions
once
daily
for10days
Sixmon
thRe
spon
serate
(A)significantly
bette
rthan
(B)
(𝑃<0.05,94%
versus
80%);
after
halfyear
follo
w-up
83%
versus
70%
5patie
ntsincontrol
grou
prepo
rted
GI
prob
lems
Duetal.2009
[25]
Parallel,2
arms
62(32/30)
EADiclofenacs
odium
75mgqd
4sessions
3tim
esperw
eek
NR
(1)JOAfortotal
score
(2)V
AS
(1)2
0.16±3.54
versus
17.63
±3.23
(2)2
.12±1.12versus
2.10±
1.39
NR
Chen
2010
[26]
Parallel,2
arms
60(30/30)
MA
Ibup
rofen0.2g
tid+
prednisone
30mgqd
2sessions
3tim
esperw
eek
NR
(1)R
espo
nser
ate
(2)V
AS
(3)M
OSSF-36
(1)(A)significantly
bette
rthan
(B)
(𝑃<0.05,100%
versus
83.3%)
(2)V
AS2.78±1.0
2versus
4.64±3.21
(3)M
OSSF-36forG
H57.76
±15.20versus
59.07±15.08
2patie
ntsreported
hypo
derm
albleeding
ininterventio
ngrou
p
Wang2008
[27]
Parallel,2
arms
104
(52/52)
WA
Ibup
rofen0.6g
bid+Vb 1
30mgtid
2sessions
once
daily
for10days
NR
Respon
serate
(A)significantly
bette
rthan
(B)
(𝑃<0.05,96.2%
versus
71.2%)
NR
Meng2014
[28]
Parallel,2
arms
60(30/30)
EA+drugs
(sam
eas
controlgroup
)
Ibup
rofen20
mgbid+Vb 1
30mgtid
2sessions
once
daily
for7
days
NR
(1)R
espo
nser
ate
(2)V
AS
(1)(A)significantly
bette
rthan
(B)
(𝑃<0.05,93.33%
versus
43.33
%)
(2)3
.04±0.53
versus
4.28±
0.62
NO
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 7
Table3:Con
tinued.
Author
Design
Num
bero
fsubjects
Interventio
ntype
(A)
Con
trolgroup
(B)
Treatm
ent
regimen
Follow-upperio
dsOutcomem
easure
Results
repo
rted
Adversee
vents
Ren2013
[29]
Parallel,2
arms
60(30/30)
WA+drugs
(sam
eas
controlgroup
)
Mannitol150
mL+
dexamethasone
10mgi.v.gtt
andmecob
alam
intablets
0.5m
gI.M
.
1sessio
non
cea
dayfor10days
NR
Respon
serate
(A)significantly
bette
rthan
(B)
(𝑃<0.05,93.3%
versus
60%)
NR
Zhao
2004
[30]
Parallel,2
arms
60(30/30)
EASham
acup
uncture
2sessions
once
adayfor10days
NR
Respon
serate
(A)significantly
bette
rthan
(B)
(𝑃<0.05,97.7
%versus
73.3%)
NO
NR:
notreported,EA
:electroacup
uncture,WA:w
arm
acup
uncture,i.v.gtt:
intravenou
sdrip
,I.M
.:intram
uscularinjectio
n,VA
S:VisualAnalogueS
cale,
SFMPQ
:Sho
rt-Form
McG
illPain
Question
naire
,PT:
pain
threshold,JO
A:JapaneseO
rtho
paedicAssociatio
nscore,BR
S-6:6-po
intb
ehaviorratingscale,MOSSF-36:them
edicalou
tcom
estudy
item
shortform
health
survey,G
I:gastr
ointestin
al,and
GH:generalhealth.
8 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Table 4: Acupoints of each trial.
Wang and La 2004 [20] Huantiao (GB 30), Weizhong (BL 40)
Chen et al. 2009 [21]Shenshu (BL 23), Dachangshu (BL25), Huantiao (GB 30), Weizhong (BL40), and Kunlun (BL 60)
study used Lasegue’s sign to assess the effectiveness of theintervention [20]. The time frame of the outcome measuresvaried from immediately after the first treatment to 6 monthsafter the completion of treatment.
3.2.5. Risk of Bias. All of the included RCTs mentionedrandomization and 7 studies reported adequate sequencegeneration [21–24, 26–28]; 6 trials used a table of randomnumbers and 1 used SPSS software to create randomnumbers.Three studies provided details about appropriate allocationconcealment [21, 22, 26], but the related details of the remain-ingRCTswere unclear even after contacting the authors.Only3 trials in the reviewwere considered to have a low risk of biasfor outcome assessors blinding [23, 26, 30]. Because of thenature of acupuncture, none of the includedRCTs blinded theacupuncturists and the patients. One RCT reported 6 drop-outs but did not provide any explanation of the reasons forthis [23].
3.3. Effects of Acupuncture. The key results from the includedtrials are summarized in Figures 2–5.
3.3.1. Acupuncture versus Drugs
Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). In terms of pain intensity relatedto leg/lumbago pain, 4 studies involving 222 participantscontributed VAS data for meta-analysis [20, 22, 25, 26].Meta-analysis of 4 RCTs showed considerable heterogeneity(𝐼2 = 66%) between the results of the included trials; weexplored this heterogeneity by excluding the trial with thelongest acupuncture sessions (four weeks, which was twiceas long as the others). With this trial excluded, the statisticalheterogeneity was reduced (𝐼2 = 0%). After pooling, the datashowed that acupuncture might have a better effect on painrelief than conventionalmedication (3 trials, 160 participants,MD −1.23, 95% CI −1.87 to −0.60, and 𝐼2 = 0%) (Figure 2).
Assessment of the Straight Leg Raising Test. One studyused the straight leg raising test to evaluate the effect ofacupuncture and medication [20]; according to the trial,after one treatment session straight leg raising improvedin both groups. While the acupuncture group improvedmore than the medication group, the researchers concludedthat electroacupuncture was more effective than NSAIDs(diclofenac) for increasing Lasegue’s sign angles (the angle ofLasegue’s sign, 76.70 ± 1.63 versus 70.88 ± 2.11).
6-Point Behavioural Rating Scale (BRS-6). One study [22]found that the acupuncture armmight be more effective thanmedication in terms of the BRS-6 score (2.07 ± 1.05 versus2.70 ± 1.34).
MOS Item Short FormHealth Survey (MOS SF-36).One studyused the MOS SF-36 [26]. There was a statistically significantdifference between acupuncture and medication in reducingthe SF-36 score (57.76 ± 15.20 versus 69.07 ± 15.08).
Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) Score. One studyused the JOA score [25]. There was a statistically significantdifference between acupuncture and medication in increas-ing the JOA score (20.16 ± 3.55 versus 17.63 ± 3.23).
Global Assessment. In terms of global assessment, 6 studiesinvolving 578 participants used global assessment as theoutcome measure [21–24, 26, 27]. Data analysis showedthat the patients in the acupuncture group improved moresignificantly after the end of the sessions than those inthe medication group (6 trials, 578 participants, RR 1.21,95% CI 1.12 to 1.30, and 𝐼2 = 0%) (Figure 3). Althoughthese 6 studies included sciatica of the nerve trunk andsciatica of the nerve roots and although the meta-analysisshowed no heterogeneity, we still feel that the results mayhave been influenced by different types of sciatica. Thus,to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture for different typesof sciatica, a subgroup analysis was conducted according toour predesigned protocol; pooling the data of these studiesshowed that, for sciatica of the nerve roots [22–24, 27], thetherapeutic effect of acupuncturewas significantly better thandrugs (4 trials, 474 participants, RR 1.08, 95% CI 1.02 to1.14, and 𝐼2 = 0%), and for sciatica of the nerve trunk[21, 26], acupuncture can provide symptom relief (2 trials,
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 9
Chen 2010Wang and La 2004Zeng 2012
2.78 1.022.57 2.274.87 1.5
4.643.535.87
302330
83
SDSD3.212.5671.89
TotalTotal30
3017
Study or subgroupMean Mean
Weight
28.0%17.3%54.6%
Mean difference Mean differenceIV, random, 95% CI IV, random, 95% CI−1.86 [−3.07, −0.65]−0.96 [−2.49, 0.57]−1.00 [−1.86, −0.14]
Test for overall effect: Z = 3.79 (P = 0.0002) Favours [acupuncture] Favours [medication]0 2 4−2−4
104 participants, RR 1.21, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.39, and 𝐼2 = 0%)(Figure 4).
3.3.2. Acupuncture versus Sham Acupuncture
Global Assessment.One study [30] reported that acupunctureprovided more improvement in global assessment than shamacupuncture (29/30 versus 22/30).
3.3.3. Acupuncture Plus Drugs versus the Same Drugs
Pain Intensity. One study [28] involving 60 participantsreported that acupuncture plus medication was significantlymore effective than medication alone in providing pain relief(pain intensity on VAS; 3.04 ± 0.53 versus 4.82 ± 0.62) aftertwo acupuncture treatment sessions.
Global Assessment. Two studies [28, 29] reported thatacupuncture plus conventional medication provided signif-icantly more improvement than conventional medicationalone (2 studies, 87 participants, RR 1.77, 95% CI 1.29 to 2.45,and 𝐼2 = 37%) (Figure 5).
Adverse Effects. Three of 11 trials reported adverse effects[23, 24, 26]. In one trial, patients in the acupuncture groupreported 3 cases of hypodermal bleeding while 21 patientsin the medication group reported gastrointestinal problemsincluding nausea, stomach ache, dyspepsia, and headache[23]. In another trial, no adverse events were reported in theacupuncture group while 5 patients in the medication groupreported gastrointestinal problems [24]. One trial reported2 adverse events in the acupuncture group and no adverse
events in the control group [26]. Although acupunctureappears to be associatedwith few adverse effects, the evidenceis limited.
4. Discussion
4.1. Summary of Main Results. Sciatica affects many peopleand is a common reason for seeking medical advice. It hasconsiderable economic consequences in terms of health careresources and lost productivity [6, 37]. In this systematicreview, although we made an extensive literature search,because of language barriers and the predefined inclusioncriteria, only 11 studies of acupuncture for sciatica wereeligible for our systematic review and meta-analysis. Aftercombining 3RCTs [20, 22, 26], the results of themeta-analysisshowed that acupuncturemay bemore effective thanNSAIDs(ibuprofen, meloxicam, and diclofenac) in decreasing theVAS for leg pain/lumbago, (3 trials, 160 participants, MD−1.23, 95% CI −1.87 to −0.60, and 𝐼2 = 0%) and 1 RCTconcluded that acupuncture plus an NSAID (ibuprofen)was superior to the same NSAIDs alone (pain intensity onVAS; 3.04 ± 0.53 versus 4.82 ± 0.62) [28]. Although oneprior systematic review reported that no evidence existsfor NSAIDs being superior to placebo [38], NSAIDs werestill suggested for pain control by the clinical guideline fordiagnosis and treatment of sciatica from the Dutch Collegeof General Practice [39]. In addition, VAS pain intensity scoreis the primary outcome of interest in sciatica; the score in theacupuncture group was significantly lower than that in theNSAIDs group (pooled MD = 1.23), but, considering thatthe sample sizes of the included trials were small, it is difficult
10 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
to draw conclusions. Moreover, there was sparse informationin these RCTs regarding the processes of randomization andallocation concealment, and only 3 of the RCTs blinded thestatisticians [23, 26, 30], whichmay have led to a considerablerisk of bias. Therefore, the present findings suggest thatacupuncture may be more effective than NSAIDs in relief ofleg pain/lumbago, but the evidence is limited. In addition,compared with medication, acupuncture appears to be moreeffective regarding physical signs, motor function, or qualityof lifemeasured by other scales such as the JOA,BRS-6, SF-36,and Lasegue’s sign. However, because these 4 trials reportedthe outcomes separately [20, 22, 25, 26] andmeta-analysis wasnot possible for one trial, and taking into account the smallsample sizes of the included trials, it was difficult to makerobust conclusions.
In terms of global assessment, the combined results of 6RCTs showed that acupuncture was superior to medicationin improving global assessment (6 trials, 578 participants,RR 1.21, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.30, and 𝐼2 = 0%) [21–24, 26, 27],and acupuncture plus medication was better than the samemedication alone (2 studies, 87 participants, RR 1.77, 95%
CI 1.29 to 2.45, and 𝐼2 = 37%) in improving the globalassessment [28, 29]. It is important to explain that we choseglobal assessment as the primary outcome of interest inour published protocol [18]; however, most of the includedRCTs used “Criteria of diagnosis and therapeutic effect ofdiseases and syndromes in traditional Chinese medicine”to report outcomes on the basis of an ordinal assessment(“cured,” “improved,” and “failed”). This makes it difficult toevaluate and save global assessment as the primary outcome;hence we redesigned global assessment to be one of thesecondary outcomes. Compared with sham acupuncture (2inches from the real acupuncture point), 1 RCT suggested thatreal acupuncture may be more effective in global assessment(29/30 versus 22/30) [30]. Meta-analysis was impossible for asingle trial with a small sample size; therefore, it is difficult todraw a conclusion without powerful evidence. However, theresults may suggest that the treatment of acupuncture pointsmay be relatively specific for sciatica.
Acupuncture appears to be associated with fewer adverseeffects compared with NSAIDs. Six of the included 11 RCTsmentioned adverse events and only 2 of them reported
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 11
adverse events in the acupuncture group (5 cases of hypo-dermal bleeding) [23, 26]. Therefore acupuncture is safe fortreating patients with sciatica. Even though acupuncture isassociated with adverse effects such as hypodermal bleeding,in contrast to the gastrointestinal adverse effects associatedwith NSAIDs, acupuncture might be an option method forpatients who cannot tolerate the adverse effects to the diges-tive system.More information is needed to better evaluate theadverse effects of the two interventions.
Given the characteristics of sciatica, the presence ofinflammation andwell-established nociceptive pathwaysmaynecessitate a threshold dose or duration of acupuncturetreatment prior to clinical effect [38, 40]. This is supportedby pathophysiologic and anatomic studies illustrating howthe sustained nociceptive input caused by sciatica can haveprofound effects on the central nervous system, causingpathologic neuroplastic changes. The controlled stimulationof peripheral nociceptors with acupuncture may reverse suchpathologic neuroplasticity in the central nervous system,especially when administered over a prolonged period [40].
The quality of trials is not sufficiently high and effortsto improve trial reporting are necessary; subsequent trialsshould comply with the CONSORT statement and STRICTArecommendations [32, 40]. Outcomemeasures should not beconfined to global assessment. VAS, NRS, quality of life andmobility function, and follow-up should also be addressedin the future trials. As a prior published systematic reviewrelated to acupuncture reported that the cost effectiveness isanother insufficiently researched aspect of acupuncture RCTs[41], the above issues should be taken into considerationto allow clinicians and patients to make evidence-basedtreatment decisions.
4.2. Applicability of Evidence. In this systematic review, 2of the included trials were multicentre in nature [20, 23];the other trials were of small sample size and most ofthe trials had poor methodological quality, lacking detailsregarding blinding and allocation concealment.Themajorityof the included trials used global assessment to measureoutcomes and interventions varied greatly in terms of theacupuncture intervention methods, treatment periods, andthe location of acupuncture points; the statistical resultsmay have varied. In addition to the different acupunctureintervention methods, we also must take variations in thearea of medications into consideration. Although most ofthe conventional medication was NSAIDs, variations in theeffects of NSAIDs cannot be ignored.
4.3. Limitations of This Review. This review may be limitedby the inherent methodological limitations of the includedRCTs.
We chose to consider acupuncture treatment regardless ofthe frequency of administration, duration of each session, andnumber and location of acupoints in our published protocol.Any of these variables may have influenced the effects ofacupuncture.
Because of the language barrier, wewere unable to includeother trials that may have met our inclusion criteria.
5. Conclusion
In conclusion, the results of this systematic review suggestthat the use of acupuncture may more effectively relieveleg pain/lumbago and improve global assessment of sciaticawhen compared with NSAID (ibuprofen, meloxicam, anddiclofenac) treatment. Moreover, adjuvant acupuncture mayenhance the effect of medications in leg pain/lumbago relief.To patients, acupuncture points appear more effective thannonacupoints. Acupuncture is relatively safe and is rarelyassociated with serious adverse events in patients with sci-atica. However, this meta-analysis was lacking in relevantand rigorous RCTs. Because the evidence was limited, higherquality and more rigorously designed clinical trials withlarger sample sizes will be needed to further confirm ourfindings.
Disclosure
The data used in this systematic review was not individualdata and there were no privacy issues to address.
Conflict of Interests
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interestsregarding the publication of this paper.
Authors’ Contribution
Zhishun Liu and Zongshi Qin contributed to the conceptionof the study. The paper was drafted by Zongshi Qin andrevised by Zhishun Liu. The search strategy was developedby Yanbing Zhai and Xiaoxu Liu and updated by Jiani Wu.Zongshi Qin and Xiaoxu Liu independently screened thepotential studies, extracted data from the included studies,and completed the data synthesis. JianiWu and Yanbing Zhaiassessed the risk of bias. Zhishun Liu arbitrated in cases ofdisagreement and ensured the absence of errors. All authorscontributed to the interpretation of the results and gave theirfinal approval for the version to be published.
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